What are the keywords of advice you would share with anyone who needs to accelerate the introduction, adoption, and profitability of digital content and products globally in 2018? While I have been asked this question several times for the last couple of months, my answer has been very similar regardless of industry and background. Think about investing in meeting the level of authenticity and empathy that your local customers require!

Media Business News and Trends

Since the beginning of 2017, we've gotten several inquiries from people wanting to publish sponsored content on our site. That's not a problem in and of itself. We offer sponsored content opportunities, which are clearly detailed in our media kit. The problem comes when these people make it clear they do not want the sponsored content to be identified as sponsored content. One even went so far as to ask us to publish her content under the name of one of our existing writers. Put simply, our answer was, Nope!

As a content and campaign manager of .ME, a company that operates the personal domain name .ME, Sanja Gardaševic's varied roles have a single purpose: to share stories of .ME domain names and its users. "As a company that does business in a mostly .com world, explaining what .ME is and why it should be your alternative is a challenge," says Gardaševic.

Social video creation platform Wochit released a report detailing characteristics common to the most successful social videos created using the company's cloud-based platform. Based on analysis of over 100 videos made by leading brands on Wochit from Q1 2017 that attained virality (over 1 million views) on Facebook, the findings are intended to help media companies and other content creators maximize the impact of their video creation efforts.

The Data & Marketing Association (DMA) announced the formation of the Structured Innovation Identity Council to address the growing challenge of cross-channel identity and attribution in marketing. The program brings together marketers, agents, and data professionals from the full spectrum of the advertising ecosystem to address common issues related to measuring and tracking consumer behavior and interaction.

Return Path released its Sender Score Benchmark Report. Using data from Sender Score and Return Path's Reputation Network, the new report analyzes a sample of more than 4 trillion email messages to investigate and measure the impact of reputation on inbox placement.

A new survey released by BrightEdge, a provider of enterprise SEO and content performance marketing solutions, reveals that marketers believe in a future ruled by the likes of Alexa, Artificial Intelligence (AI), voice search, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Yet, most in-house marketers and agency practitioners have done little to introduce these powerful components into their content marketing strategy.

IFS, a global enterprise applications company announced the findings of its Digital Change Survey that polled 750 decision makers in 16 countries, including more than 120 in North America, to assess the maturity of digital transformation in sectors such as manufacturing, oil and gas, aviation, construction and contracting, and service.

In his role as Global CEO of Cision, a global media intelligence and communications solution provider, Kevin Akeroyd's vision is to provide integrated, data-driven solutions for professionals who work with earned media - the PR, IR, marketing, and social media teams whose job it is to target journalists and other influencers, in pursuit of positive coverage for their organizations. So it makes sense that he's tracking companies who are making it easier to understand who is doing what online.

It's been said that we all have a novel in us, but these days, it seems as if we all have a podcast in us. Of course, we don't all have a good podcast in us—and fewer of us can launch an entire network. But Rebecca Lavoie has done just that, from her basement and with the help of her husband—and writing partner—Kevin P. Flynn. Along with two more co-hosts, the pair launched Crime Writers On Serial, a podcast to talk about a podcast (now Crime Writers On…).

SendGrid, a delivery platform for customer communication that drives engagement and growth, released a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of SendGrid called Elevate Your Email Marketing With A Customized Approach.

ANATOMY released the results of its 2017 "The Young and The Brandless" report, which provides a look at the media consumption, content discovery habits, and network brand recognition capabilities of young (18-26) adults.

When Kevin Akeroyd took on the role of global CEO of Cision, a global media intelligence and communications solution provider, back in August 2016, he made one major assumption. Coming from a long career providing service solutions for CMOs, Akeroyd believed the integrated, data-centric solutions that marketing teams leverage for paid and owned media (i.e., advertising) would be just as critical for those whose job is to generate earned media, in the form of coverage by journalists and other influencers.

The use of emojis—those little digital icons representing everything from sushi and sailboats to infinite variations on the smiley face—has become part of everyday life. Yet marketers have been hesitant to incorporate them into email campaigns, due to uncertainty about how their use may be perceived by both mailbox providers and subscribers.

As I write this, we are 4 weeks into the new presidency. It's fair to say the press has played a central role in the early days of this administration. We have seen that even while journalists' jobs are shifting—thanks to new technologies and distribution channels—the fundamental skills needed to be a good reporter remain the same. And those skills have been on display lately, much to the chagrin of the new president.

Here's a worrisome thought for marketers that can keep you up at night: Gen Z—a key demographic born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s—comprises 27% of the global population, commands $44 billion in purchasing power, and represents the first true generation of digital natives. But your efforts to reach them via digital ads could fail miserably, new research suggests.

Virtual reality is becoming … well … reality, thanks to a host of new tools and people willing to test the limits of what the technology is capable of—and what the audience expects. Nowhere is that more true than at USA TODAY's VRtually There, a weekly news show done entirely in virtual reality (VR). David Hamlin is part of the team that makes the show possible.

Research released by Ampere Analysis reveals that Facebook is closing the gap on TV advertising. The average revenue per user (ARPU) generated by Facebook advertising has grown six-fold in North American and four-fold in Europe in five years. By comparison, the value of a TV viewer has remained relatively flat, with a growth of less than 7% in both regions over the same half-decade.

Following a comprehensive strategic review, IP Network will be transformed into a single point of contact for advertisers wishing to communicate outside their home territory and are keen to benefit from local expertise. As part of the strategic repositioning, IP Network will change its name to RTL AdConnect as of May 4, 2017.

On a typical day, Solomon meets with clients, agency partners, content platform providers, and internal Lingotek departments to gather use cases, weigh priorities, and create requirements for development. "I find ways to connect Lingotek's advanced translation technology and network of professional translators to the people creating content across the globe," he says.

During its annual customer experience conference C3, Clarabridge, Inc., a provider of Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions, announced CX Revolution—a vision to empower brands with the necessary tools to integrate data-driven customer experience into the fabric of every business. Driving a CX Revolution ensures a universal focus on customer experience across all levels of the organization.

Pepperjam, a full service performance marketing company, revealed insights and contradictions around marketers' challenges and priorities. Conducted at Adobe Summit 2017, Pepperjam polled 400 senior marketers and decision makers to identify what issues are top of mind and affecting budget spend. The results reveal a notable tension among technology investments and expectations, and channel strategy and objectives.

Awhile back, I quipped that the best thing that can happen to a print news publication these days is for President Donald Trump to call it out by name in a Twitter tirade. It wasn't an original thought. The "Trump Bump" was a phenomenon many media watchers already noticed.